Therapeutics · Emerging Therapies
Abstract
Introduction
Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is one of the most widely recognized reasons for infertility. The aim of this study was to examine the impact of laser acupuncture on PCOS women.
Methods
Twenty-five PCOS women were randomly allocated to either the study group (SG; n=13), treated by laser acupuncture, or the control group (CG; n = 12). Blood hormonal levels and insulin resistance were measured at baseline and after 12 weeks of intervention.
Results
The pre-intervention levels showed no statistically significant differences between SG and CG for baseline characteristics (P>0.05). After 12 weeks of intervention, within-group analyses showed that body mass index (BMI), blood hormonal levels, and insulin resistance were significantly decreased (P<0.05), while no significant changes in follicle-stimulating hormone (P>0.05) were recorded in the 2 groups. Between-groups analyses showed that most outcomes measures were significantly decreased (P<0.05) in SG compared with CG, with no significant changes in FSH and BMI (P>0.05).
Conclusion
Laser acupuncture can be suggested as an effective management for PCOS women.
Topics
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Emerging Therapies · Light Therapy
Photobiomodulation in Complex Female Infertility Profile: A Case Report with 12-Month Follow-Up and Review of Current Mechanism in Reproductive Photomedicine
Phypers R et al., 2025 · Photonics
Female infertility from polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) and endometriosis poses a challenge for both clinicians and women who are trying to conceive. The present clinical single case report aimed to evaluate the efficacy of multiple wavelengths of red and near-infrared (NIR) laser photobiomodulation (PBM) for increasing the potential of fertility in a woman with PCOS, endometriosis and low ovarian reserve. The observations helped to inform and establish the following: (1) any adverse effects; (2) the possibility of producing an effective PBM protocol; and (3) a healthy live birth. The case report concerns a female who failed to conceive naturally beyond five years and had experienced one unsuccessful IVF cycle. Case report of one female subject with infertility issues, which included failure to conceive naturally beyond five years. Previous conditions were recorded and then compared with outcomes from after the patient received a course of PBM treatments. PBM treatments were given at weekly and/or at two-week intervals over a 5-month period during the follicular stage of the menstrual cycle, using IR and NIR wavelengths between 600 and 1000 nm. After five months a spontaneous conception was achieved. The case resulted in a full-term pregnancy and the birth of a healthy baby. Improvements in reproductive health outcomes in this case give reason to suggest that PBM helped to alleviate PCOS and endometriosis which could have been associated with a low ovarian reserve. The case report indicates that a multiwavelength of red and NIR-PBM laser therapy could have positively contributed to a healthy live birth in a female diagnosed with PCOS, endometriosis and a low ovarian reserve. Extensive studies with large data are warranted to validate our PBM dosimetry and treatment protocols to assess the potential impact of PBM for treating endometriosis and PCOS. Subsequently, to understand the genetic and phenotype biomarkers would be an important step further to standardise a range of PBM light dosimetry.
Supplements and Botanicals · Vitamins and Minerals
Effects of zinc supplementation on markers of insulin resistance and lipid profiles in women with polycystic ovary syndrome: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial
Foroozanfard F et al., 2015 · Experimental and clinical endocrinology & diabetes : official journal, German Society of Endocrinology [and] German Diabetes Association
This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of zinc supplementation on glucose homeostasis parameters and lipid concentrations in PCOS women. We are aware of no study evaluating the effects of zinc supplementation on metabolic profiles of patients with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). This randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was conducted among 52 women diagnosed with PCOS and aged 18-40 years old. Participants were randomly divided into 2 groups to receive 220 mg zinc sulfate (containing 50 mg zinc) supplements (n=26) or placebo (n=26) per day for 8 weeks. Fasting blood samples were taken at baseline and after 8 weeks' intervention to quantify glucose, insulin and lipid concentrations. After 8 weeks of intervention, subjects who received zinc supplements had significantly increased serum zinc levels (+15.6±21.8 vs. -4.1±16.7 mg/dL, P=0.001) compared with placebo. In addition, zinc-supplemented patients had reduced fasting plasma glucose (FPG) (-4.3±9.6 vs. +0.5±6.0 mg/dL, P=0.03), serum insulin levels (-3.0±2.9 vs. +1.5±8.4 µIU/mL, P=0.01), homeostasis model of assessment-insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) (-0.8±0.8 vs. +0.3±1.9, P=0.006), homeostatic model assessment-Beta cell function (HOMA-B) (-10.6±9.5 vs. +4.9±32.1, P=0.02) and increased quantitative insulin sensitivity check index (QUICKI) (+0.02±0.02 vs. -0.004±0.05, P=0.03) compared with placebo. Additionally, a significant reduction in serum triglycerides (-15.6±40.3 vs. +14.5±25.3 mg/dL, P=0.002) and VLDL-cholesterol concentrations (-3.2±8.1 vs. +2.9±5.1 mg/dL, P=0.002) was observed following the administration of zinc supplements compared with placebo. Taken together, 220 mg zinc sulfate supplementation per day for 8 weeks among PCOS women had beneficial effects on metabolic profiles.
Acupuncture in Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: A Narrative Review of Neuroendocrine-Immune Evidence, Reproductive Outcomes, and Evidence Gaps
Chen S et al., 2026 · International journal of women's health
Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a heterogeneous reproductive, endocrine, and metabolic disorder in which autonomic, neuroendocrine, inflammatory, and metabolic abnormalities may converge on ovarian and endometrial function. This narrative review evaluates evidence relevant to acupuncture in PCOS, with emphasis on evidence source, directness, and clinically meaningful reproductive outcomes. PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science were searched from inception to March 31, 2026, supplemented by backward citation tracking. We prioritized human PCOS trials and mechanistic studies, followed by PCOS-specific preclinical evidence; findings from other conditions were included only as explicitly labeled indirect evidence. No formal risk-of-bias assessment or meta-analysis was undertaken. Clinical evidence most consistently suggests possible effects on menstrual or ovulatory function, sympathetic activity, and insulin resistance, although results vary across protocols and PCOS phenotypes. Evidence for pregnancy, ongoing pregnancy, embryo quality, and live birth remains limited and inconsistent, and acupuncture has not been established as a substitute for guideline-based fertility treatment. Human data directly linking acupuncture to immune-cell reprogramming, endometrial immune tolerance, or correction of window-of-implantation timing are scarce. PCOS-specific animal studies provide plausible signals involving hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian regulation, ovarian sympathetic signaling, inflammatory pathways, oxidative stress, and insulin signaling, but these findings cannot be assumed to translate to clinical reproductive benefit. Overall, the neuroendocrine-immune framework is best viewed as a hypothesis-guiding map that distinguishes relatively supported clinical domains from preclinical and indirect mechanisms. Future trials should combine standardized acupuncture protocols with phenotype stratification, prespecified ovulation, ongoing-pregnancy, and live-birth outcomes, and longitudinal autonomic, metabolic, inflammatory, ovarian, and endometrial measurements.
Acupuncture Versus Clomiphene for Ovulation Induction in Women With Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS): A Randomized Clinical Trial
Hafizi L et al., 2026 · Health science reports
There is evidence of the beneficial effects of acupuncture in the treatment of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). This study aimed to compare acupuncture with clomiphene in ovulation induction among infertile women with PCOS. This randomized clinical trial was conducted on infertile women with PCOS who were referred to the gynecology clinic of Imam Reza Hospital and Milad Infertility Center, Mashhad, Iran, from December 2015 to July 2016. Patients were randomly assigned to two groups; the intervention group (38 patients) received true acupuncture plus placebo clomiphene, whereas the control group (39 patients) received clomiphene plus sham acupuncture. Patients were compared in terms of folliculare growth, evidence of ovulation, and side effects of treatment. There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups in terms of demographic characteristics and PCOS criteria. The ovulation rates were 31.5% and 41.6% in the intervention and control groups respectively, indicating no statistically significant difference(p = 0.36). Also, in terms of side effects, the statistical difference between the two groups was not significant, except for headache which was significantly more common in the intervention group (p = 0.001). The rate of folliculargrowth was significantly higher in the control group during the first and third cycles (p = 0.01), whereas no significant difference was observed in the second cycle (p = 0.93). Acupuncture can be as effective as clomiphene treatment in inducing ovulation in infertile women with PCOS. Moreover, considering the few side effects of acupuncture, its application can be considered a safe option. IRCT201512057265N3.
Therapeutics › Emerging Therapies › Light Therapy · Reproductive Endocrinology › Ovarian Hormones › Androgens · Menstrual Cycle › Cycle Disorders › Ovulatory Disturbances
Fayiz F El-Shamy, Sand S El-Kholy, Marwa M Abd El-Rahman
F El-Shamy, S El-Kholy, M El-Rahman
PMID 30026896 30026896 DOI 10.15171/jlms.2018.22 10.15171/jlms.2018.22 El-Shamy et al. 2018, El-Shamy 2018